SportsCricket
Shafali and Mandhana chase 103 in 8.5 overs as India women seal Zimbabwe series
Niki Prasad took two wickets in two balls to hold Zimbabwe to 102 for 8 in Raipur, then the openers finished the job with 67 balls to spare for a 2-0 lead and Mandhana's first win as full-time captain.
Key points
- India beat Zimbabwe by nine wickets in the second T20I to take an unbeatable 2-0 lead.
- Shafali Verma hit 55 off 25 balls and Smriti Mandhana finished unbeaten on 47 off 25.
- It was India's 17th T20I win of 2026, their most in a calendar year.
India wrapped up their T20I series against Zimbabwe with a game to spare on Sunday night, chasing 103 in 8.5 overs in Raipur to win by nine wickets. Shafali Verma hit 55 off 25 balls and captain Smriti Mandhana finished unbeaten on 47 off 25 as the hosts went 2-0 up.
It was a far cleaner evening than the opener on Friday, when India’s top four all fell for single figures and they needed Deepti Sharma and Niki Prasad to rescue a four-wicket win. This time the openers put on 96 and the chase lasted only 53 balls. It was also Mandhana’s first win as India’s full-time captain.
The 67 balls India had left are a record in women’s T20Is for a successful chase of more than 100, beating the 65 balls West Indies had to spare when they chased 107 against Zimbabwe in Harare. The victory was India’s 17th in the format this calendar year, one more than their previous best of 16 in 2018.
Prasad strikes with her first two balls
Zimbabwe won the toss and batted, and India kept the same XI. The visitors struggled to 30 for 3 in the ninth over before Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano and captain Josephine Nkomo added 45 for the fourth wicket.
Prasad, 20, broke the stand with her very first ball. Brought on in the 15th over, she had Mugeri-Tiripano caught behind for 34 off 32 balls and then trapped Nyasha Gwanzura lbw next ball. Modester Mupachikwa was hit on the pad on the hat-trick ball, but India did not review.
“I felt it was going down leg, so I didn’t think we should use the review,” Prasad said at the innings break. “I feel really good that I was able to get bowling today and use that opportunity to help the team.”
She finished with 2 for 7 from two overs, and later held a low diving catch to remove Michelle Mavunga off Shree Charani in the 19th over. “I think the last game I missed one catch so I knew if I get another one today, I’ll take it,” she said.
Kranti Gaud took 1 for 15 and Deepti 1 for 13, with Charani and Nandani Sharma also among the wickets. Nkomo carried her bat for 27 off 35 balls as Zimbabwe finished on 102 for 8.
A chase that lasted 53 balls
India were 40 without loss after four overs. In the fifth, Mandhana hit Gwanzura for four boundaries in a row in an over that cost 21, and by the end of the powerplay India were 76 without loss.
Shafali reached her fifty off 24 balls and was caught off Beloved Biza next ball, having hit six fours and four sixes. Mandhana, who struck six fours and two sixes, ended it with a six in the ninth over.
The opening stand was the pair’s ninth of 50 or more in T20Is this year, the most by any pair in a calendar year in women’s cricket, and took them past 1,000 runs together in 2026. Shafali now has 922 T20I runs this year from 26 innings at a strike rate above 165, a calendar-year record.
What next
The third and final match is on Tuesday, 20 October. Zimbabwe, who ran India close on Friday before losing by four wickets, will be looking to avoid a clean sweep.